Irish Artist Builds Home Out of Shredded Euros

Project is a monument to madness of single currency

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A jobless artist angry over what he sees as Ireland's disastrous foray into the euro zone has built a house out of $1.8 billion in shredded euro notes.

Frank Buckley's project is in the lobby of a Dublin office building that has been vacant for four years, since its construction. The island nation has been devastated by a construction bubble that burst and plunged it into a deep recession that is five years old and showing no signs of letting up.

"It's a reflection of the whole madness that gripped us," Buckley told Reuters. "People were pouring billions into buildings now worth nothing. I wanted to create something from nothing."

Buckley got bricks of the shredded notes from Ireland's national mint and began "construction" in December. He now lives in the home and is planning on adding a kitchen.

Buckley himself was part of the bust, having gotten a mortgage to buy a half-million-dollar home at the peak of the boom even though he had no steady job. The home, in which his wife now lives, has lost at least one-third of its value, according to Reuters.

He says his new home proves one thing about the euro.

"Whatever you say about the euro, it's a great insulator," Buckley said.